My Shadow Incarnate
by OfInfinitePossibilityTherein
Summary: Solaris is gone. All things that happened in Soleana over the course of their journey has been erased. Yet, due to an unexpected fluke, through Shadow's very flesh and bone Mephiles the Dark arises again - but with no purpose. With one brother's eyes to the future, and the other still heartbroken over the past, what will become of these two, bound by events that never happened?
1. Prologue

Bits of all that was streaked across the sky like fallen stars, racing across the Heavens in flight from the dying God's all-consuming embrace, then vanishing as they returned to their proper timelines. The unnatural realm trembled as it realized itself, giving way to the rightening world. Everything shook as it reveled the moment; The Chaos Emerald's chosen heroes had again overcome a great evil in the nick of time, and balance was being restored. Solaris gave a cry as he crumbled and burst into flames, manufactured power no longer enough to hold him firm in flesh and might.

Shadow stared at the display from the air, still in his super form. His eyes flickered through different emotions as he ponders his memories of Mephiles and Iblis. He watched as Solaris' core sparked with escaping power, and then broke apart. He blinked at the embers, lips pursed as he wondered which part of Solaris was who: Iblis, or Mephiles? Perhaps the core was Iblis, as fiery as it was, powering the body… His eyes flickered with a curious emotion as he watched the body burn, pondering what this would mean for the future of them all. Chaos energy was such a complex power, but yet so simple in some things. The Gods willing, Shadow himself would live through this but as Mephiles died now, what would become of his stolen form? Could his power too have been replicated, and simply not used? If that was the way it was, what would that mean for Chaos itself, considering Shadow carried so much energy with him?... Shadow flinched slightly as Sonic grabbed his shoulder and grinned at him. Silver was beside him, also beaming. "Why so glum, Shadow?" Sonic remarked, tilting his head in that mockingly inquisitive manner of his. Shadow withheld a scoff toward his antics – this was a time for celebration after all – and simply turned away. "Nothing. We should get down from here before this place gets too dangerous." Sonic's smile never faded. "Well alright buddy, if that's what you want." Leaving him to follow, the emerald-empowered hero went back down to join his friends, Silver following without a second thought, as he was new to this hero business. Shadow narrowed his eyes at the raging white mass of unholy fire, shivering as Sonic and Silver took off in a flash of golden light. He could sense their Chaos energy almost too well, like his subconscious had noticed something different. Not wanting to trouble himself any further, Shadow gritted his teeth and followed them down nonchalantly. Mephiles was dying as he was thinking these things. His prophecies… were probably lies. And of course, everything would be different after being pulled apart and put together again. Nothing to worry about… Suddenly something moved behind him as he touched ground, and he flinched, swiveling his ears to investigate. It was just Amy getting closer, he could tell by the unique clop of her boots. He ground his teeth again, looking upwards to the future and the burning Solaris. What an ugly habit he had, getting stuck on the past… First the ARK, and now Mephiles; this was almost getting to be too much. Then, he could sense it before it happened- Sonic and Silver seemed to as well, as they braced themselves with him. Solaris exploded into a rush of white light, the amount of Chaos energy in the world spiking to a painful level. Shadow gasped inwardly, his skin burning as his mental sensors almost overloaded. The light only grew closer, and his head began to throb in agony. He gurgled a moan, springing back from the light as it consumed him and everything else in that unnatural space.

Blackness, like he was sleeping… In fact, he was sleeping, he could tell. Actually, not quite sleeping, but something heavier – more like a coma, but he wasn't unwell. Disturbed by this, Shadow blinks awake, and looks about him. He was right where he was last, dozing in a tree as he awaited orders from G.U.N., paused in pre-mission status. He looks himself over to see if something perhaps had hit him in his sleep, feeling perplexed. Since his instincts never lied, what could have happened to him to make his head so heavy? His ears perked to the sound of his communicator tuning in. "Shadow, the Commander has requested you abandon the mission and return to base immediately." Shadow gawked. This was supposed to be an incredibly important mission he thought; something about capturing a dangerous entity? "Why?" He asks the operative feeding him directions. "I wasn't given any intel on why, but from what I can see all the data has vanished just now, so the mission has been withheld until we can find the source of the disappearance of data." The ultimate life form stays silent, pondering what could have happened. It might have been a hacker or a mole not wanting the mission to go down, but this was a relatively rouge mission, and this "Mephiles" was a being that should be kept behind closed doors for sure. No one had any reason for hacking these files if they knew about them – even if they did, every single access to government data has been recorded and checked in since the Black Arms compromised the CIA's mainframe. Narrowing down his realistic options, Shadow's mind begins thinking over what he knows of space-time connections from his own experience. "But if we did something that erased a section of the continuum… Why do we remember it even existed?" His eyes widen with concern and revelation: For that to happen, there would need to be an existing link tying that which doesn't and does not exist, something that escaped. For Shadow, as he could only speak for himself, to go after something that he would erase from existence itself, it would have to be a terrible evil.

-  
Author's Note:  
So, viola, my first fanfiction. 8D Naturally I'm pretty psyched but still nervous, so any kind of feedback would be splendid. ;w; Hope you enjoyed it, please review! I also can't promise any sort of regular updating, though...


	2. Chapter 1

It was a far-fetched notion, but perhaps this Mephiles is the one that escaped. Then again, if Shadow himself was being sent to capture and contain him, that might not be so far-fetched at all… Shadow's sensitive ears perk to try and hear the words bubbling through sudden static on his G.U.N communicator. One voice sounded like the Commander. This next feed would probably be very important. His informant gives a heavy sigh once the other voice leaves. "You better get back here, Shadow." He warns the ebony agent, "The Commander's real upset that you're not here yet." Shadow gives a soft 'Hmph', irritated and somewhat appalled that the Commander expected so much of him. "Tell the Commander I'm on my way." "Yessir." Without another moment's delay, Shadow lunges out of the treetops and lands smoothly on the ground, already moving at over 40 MPH from brute force alone. He gets lost in his thoughts a bit more, dodging trees and other objects in his path instinctively. So all the data was gone, huh? What did he remember about this Mephiles then, since his memory was the only thing they had left? After some moment's consideration, he started making a list of what he could remember about his mission. Mephiles was some kind of artificial being, part of a project undertaken by a foreign nation's duke. Mephiles is, or was, labeled as "extremely dangerous to society and the world at large." … And that was it. Shadow snarls to himself, displeased at his poor recollection and overall mental performance. Damn that concussion, or whatever had happened to him earlier… Suddenly his breath hitches as he subconsciously responds to something, bringing him to a complete stop. He turns to watch something in the distance, something bright, purple, and sparkling. "A Chaos Emerald…?" Shadow blinks, and the emerald vanishes. He shakes his head, perplexed yet again. He'd never had something like that happen before. He didn't even detect Chaos energy, but he was still aware that it was there, somewhere off in… whatever direction that was. Checking his internal compass, he determined that it was northeast. The G.U.N agent again mumbles through the communicator. "Shadow…" The Ultimate Lifeform was still staring off northeast, deeply concerned now. "… Coming." He pursed his lips, practically having to force himself to turn away. Whatever it was that was bugging him, it was seriously important in his mind. Even as he sped off to his job and duty, he could feel a nagging sensation at his back, like he was going the wrong way all the while.

As Shadow approached the gates of the G.U.N compound he was to report in at, just by glancing at the guards he could tell something was up. They let him in with a nod, and as he passed them by he could smell their fear on the summer breeze. Rushing through the artillery to the main base, Shadow could hear the Commander's yelling echoing through the vast concrete chambers. Once he got close enough to see what was going on, it seemed the Commander was grilling everyone over the sudden turn of events in his private seat over the data area. His best agents were lined up in front of him, giving their best salutes as he yelled, everyone else at hand rushing around in an effort to get things back on track. "..and I'll be DAMNED if I allow this to slip past us! As soon as the President knows what has happened here today, the whole lot of you will be FIRED! Do I make myself clear?" "Yes sir." The Commander was pacing furiously, fists clenched and brow furrowed. As enraged as he was, he was clearly very worried as well. "This is a potentially fatal breach in security – data just vanished into thin air, and nobody **still** has any clue what had happened! … Did you lot hear me clearly? FFIIRREED! We will all be, FIRED! And where in God's furious hell is Shadow? He's perfectly fast enough, he should have been here by now!" The Commander waves his hand in disregard, ready to move on without him. "Gah, who needs him-?" At that moment Shadow walks in, displeased by what he was hearing. "I'm here, Commander." The Commander only gets angrier somehow, his fists trembling with rage. "THERE YOU ARE! Where have you been? Didn't that worthless Sheckman tell you I wanted you here **as soon as possible**?" Shadow sighs inwardly. "I came as soon as I could, Commander." The Commander mumbles something no one but Shadow could clearly catch… "Damn right you did, pft…" He gives a sigh, taking a deep breath and composing himself. "Right. Now that we're all here, let's review what exactly is going on, to make sure that _everyone_ is on the same page." The Commander looks over his agents, not looking at any one of them in particular, then turns back to the mob of techs scurrying for any scrap of information. "Earlier this morning, just before a very important mission to capture and contain a dangerous entity known as 'Mephiles', every bit of data we had on Mephiles and all things related to him vanished from all of our data bases. And we are **still**trying to find out what happened to all of it." He rushes over to the nearby stairway in time to catch one of the more important-seeming operatives. Shadow recognized him as someone he met before; Something like Zedrick "Zeddie" Thompson, one of the upper-most managers of the Data Management branch stationed at this compound. "Zeddie," The Commander taps his shoulder to get his attention. "Have you and your team found anything yet?" Zeddie pauses and shakes his head with a small, stressed sigh. "No sir. Nothing at all. It doesn't seem like anything has been left behind – the data is just gone, and there's not even a record of anyone accessing the data." As Zeddie slipped off to continue his research, the Commander just stood there pondering. "… Impossible. There must be an explanation…" He mumbled. Gritting his teeth, he ordered all of his agents to disband and assist within their professional fields, except for Shadow, who was now free to do what he desired. "Thanks to this mess, Shadow, the mission has been postponed until we can recover the details." The Commander mumbled at he slipped into his office. "You're free to do whatever you like until we get more information…"

Shadow paces in the hallways for a while, thinking about what he had seen and heard coming back to base. He crossed his arms and made himself comfortable standing for a while, wondering if he noticed anything that would point to a possible alteration in space and time. He considered everyone's emotions and body language first. Everyone was, of course, very stressed over the recent turn of events. Everyone deals with stress somewhat differently, he thought, but was there anything in common between people who might have been involved? He had woken up from a bit of a coma which was unusual, and it was likely he had been directly involved with whatever had taken place. What were human's symptoms when they first awoke from a coma...? Well since he believed himself to be short on time, he reasoned what might be most likely. A headache, perhaps? Shadow nods, a small smile rising to his face. This seemed to be a satisfying answer. He considered staying there and thinking some more, but something was telling him to get a move on, and his instincts were rarely wrong. With that the ebony hedgehog takes off in a yellow blur, darting down the hallways and angling corners with jumps and springs, eager not to waste a second. He runs until he returns to Data Management were the Commander had been yelling, then finally slows to a walk. Being careful not to disturb anyone, he slips down the stairway and into the crowd of agents still fumbling for information. He blinks and shifts his power rings just slightly, disguising it as just adjusting his gloves. He begins probing around the area with a faint, controllable veil of chaos energy, inspecting people's emotions and physical state. He's rather surprised to find how stressed people are, many of them very tired but just slaving on in an effort to get things back on track. The Ultimate Lifeform glances about, wondering if this was normal for people. He himself was hardly ever like that, and when he was he sat down and slept it off. He couldn't resist a small sigh, wondering if he was truly so perfect in comparison. "Pardon, Shadow…" Shadow steps aside to let the man pass him, a paper in his hand. Recognizing Zeddie yet again, Shadow jumps at the chance to inspect him, and finds that he's concealing a splitting headache. Measuring the amount of physical strain, he deems this wasn't your average headache, more like he had been ill. Intrigued, Shadow follows Zeddie a little, checking to make sure he wasn't just working sick. Scanning him, he finds he had a minor bacterial infection, but his immune system was handling it like a charm – he probably didn't even know he had it. He had no reason for that headache; no particular physical strain, no illness, no internal injuries, no nothing. The charcoal-furred hedgehog gives a nod, and slips off into the crowd once more.

So then, the head of Data Management possibly might have experienced something similar to what he had when he awoke. Yes, that would make sense, considering what his rank; Zeddie would have had practically no choice but to have been involved with such a secret mission. Shadow nods again to himself, sitting casually on the guard rail overlooking the data sector, at least a 38 foot fall, while still probing them all for unusual symptoms. Upon realizing not much else of interest was going on down there – except for that Jonathan "Johnnie Boy" Freidman who came into work sick and was probably going to give the entire group an extremely contagious form of the common cold – he considers taking this to the Commander now. He can't do this by himself, and the Commander was his boss after all. Shadow smirks quietly, swinging over and under the rail (noting the fact that everyone else would get sick and he never would made him feel unusually adventurous), and begins walking toward the G.U.N general's office. Perhaps the old man and his unshakable "Heart of Stone" were also feeling a bit under the weather.

Shadow walks swiftly toward the office, his quills bristling as his senses came alive over-… something. His heart began to pound as adrenaline flooded his veins like he was about to burst into a run, driving him to pick up the pace. He tries to calm his nerves though, as he approaches the glass-plated room with its see-through door. As soon as he can see inside, he watches the Commander take a swift drink of water and swallow something. Shadow smirks confidently and pauses for a moment. Did he just pop an Asprin? Suddenly a loud wail makes him jump as the red emergency lights paint the walls crimson, the particular echo of a top-level security breach siren screeching down the hallways.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~\(OuO)/~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Author's Note:  
Goodness gracious I stressed over this like I have never before over anything. o3o" I hope this update wasn't too late - I felt it knawing on my brains every minute I wasn't working on it. e_e I guess this is what they call paranoia, haha.  
If you're reading please review - I'm still getting over this first fanfiction thing and so anything you could offer is still a big help. c: But most of all, I'd just like to hear that you're enjoying what you're reading. :)


	3. Chapter 2

Shadow resisted the urge to cover his ears against the wailing sirens, turning to the Commander as he stumbles out of his office.

"Shadow!", he cries, standing in the glass doorway while loading his pistol, "What the hell are you doing just standing there? Go join the defense squads, now!"

Shadow easily masks his irritation with a blank face, giving the Commander a sideways look. Of course he was going to help – he didn't have to be an ass about it. Being a dog of the military was becoming less and less satisfying with every order he was given... "Yes, Commander." With that he turns on a dime, skating past the many foot soldiers trudging through the crimson hallways. He's easily able to locate the source of the breach, as the alarm system is designed to be loudest at the point of detection. He glides easily through the hallways, his ears perking to follow the loud crashes of automated defense bots as they transform to race him to the breach site. Shadow narrows his eyes, realizing that if this was some mistake the perpetrator would be shot without distinction, if he didn't get there first. He grits his teeth, kicking his skate-shoe power up a few notches to outrun the bots. To his surprise, the robots were way out of the way from where they were going, and he easily got there before him. He clenches his fists as he glides to a stop in front of the breach site, where he could hear people still moving. He instantly recognizes the place as the authorized personnel doorway, a set of two steel doors which are unlocked by an eye scanner and keycard. Through the glass slits in the doors, he saw that, trapped between both doors, was Rouge, who looked very frightened and confused. Shadow felt his quills bristle in both panic and in response to a Chaos Emerald she seemed to have with her. Acting fast, he judged the distance of the bots. He had moments to spare. Backing against the door and turning around, he came face to face with the two automated defense robots, who immediately took aim. Shadow drew his G.U.N top-rank agent card, and flashed it in front of them. This card in particular, along with the Commander's, the President's, and several other agents, had a shiny metallic strip on it the bot were programmed to recognize. Shadow watched them both, relaxing when he saw their visual sensors lock onto the film. "Cease fire! Stand down!", he commands them. Both defense units give a loud hiss as pressure valves are released, built in guns de-loading themselves as the bots slip back into their neutral state. Shadow sighs softly, turning and sliding his card on the keypad. It asked him what action it should perform, and he punched in the number sequence to de-activate the alarms. 3-27-9-600-14-5. Everything immediately fell silent, the red lights shutting off. The silence was almost startling, but he had no time to calm his nerves. He slides his card again, and punches in the access code for the door. It slides open in moments, freeing Rouge, who prances up to him in that almost skanky way of hers.

"Shadow!" She gasps, catching her breath from such a startling turn of events. Once in the safety of his general area, she gives a sigh of relief. "What's going on? Why did my card do that? I'm still a member of G.U.N, aren't I?" Shadow cracks a small smile as she speaks, noting her usually perfect make-up was smudged. "I don't know Rouge, but this isn't the first government-related screw up today." Shadow didn't even swivel his ears to the sound of defense squads coming to meet them, stopping at the entrance to the short passage. "We'll have to take you to the Commander and find out what's going on with that keycard." Rouge just nods at him, looking sheepishly at the fully-armed units in front of them, guns still loaded. Shadow turns to them only when she does, approaching them as if to walk through their midst without a care. But, knowing he wouldn't get past them without explaining first, he simply does so while he walks past them. "There was a mistake with Rouge's keycard. When she tried to use it to get through the second door, it triggered the alarms. I'm taking her to the Commander now to address the situation." The squad captains all saluted him. "Sir!", they cried, expressing their understanding. The squad members themselves simply saluted with their captains, then regrouped to proceed back to their stations. Rouge breezed confidently behind Shadow, the authorized personnel doors snapping shut behind her. She winks at the squad members, touching her thumb to her pink, glossy lips. "You boys take care now, thanks for getting here so fast. Sorry I wasn't worth the fuss." Despite the serious air about them, some of the squad members cracked a smile of some sort as the two Mobians walked away.

The Commander was walking to meet them when they bumped into him in the halls, pistol in hand still. "What happened, you two?" Shadow immediately stepped up in Rouge's defense, allowing her to stay behind him without ridicule. She liked it that way, after all. "Something is wrong with Rouge's government keycard. She got past the first gate in authorized personnel, but not the second one." The Commander rears back a little, clearly confused. "That doesn't make sense… Unless her card was tampered with! Let me see it, Rouge!"

Shadow again masked his irritation as he stepped aside, watching Rouge walk up and hand the Commander her card. He spoke all too nastily to her. Although he did that to everyone, it really pissed him off that he'd treat her that way. The Commander took her card with a gentle hand, and looked it over for a good while. While the high and mighty G.U.N general focused on her invalid card, Rouge looked at Shadow, who caught her gaze even before she fully turned to him. She gaped at him a little, intrigued by his cold, all-too-blank expression. She couldn't tell what he was thinking about, but she could tell something was on his mind. Shadow turned a little and looked her straight in the face, jaw set and eyes dead forward. This would have frightened her a few years ago, but now she knew it was just him _**really **_getting her attention, probably saying he wanted to talk to her. Rouge flashes him a small smile, turning back to the Commander as he hands her the card back.

"I can't see anything wrong with it on the surface.", He says, "We'll have to take it down to Data Management to find out what's wrong with it. Do you still have that Chaos Emerald with you?" Shadow perks his ears, watching the situation closely now. Rouge reaches into her pocket. "Of course I do Commander; do you honestly think that a girl who loves her jewels as much as I do would so much as let this thing out of her sight?" As she speaks, she shows him the glittering red gem she carried with her. The Commander nods, and takes the lock off his pistol while he speaks… "Good job, Rouge. Deliver that to Agent Decado in Special Ops, then meet me in Data Management to check the status of your card. Don't keep me waiting, we have too much to do around here."

Rouge smiles and does a playful salute as she walks away, pocketing her card. "Yes sir, Commander! Talk to you later." Shadow follows her a little ways, until the Commander is far enough not to hear them speak. He slips a bit into her path; not enough to cut her off, but make her notice he wanted her to stop, which she does. "Rouge, I want to talk to you later." Rouge tilts her head slightly, shifting her weight onto her other hip. "Alright. What calls for the talking-to, though? Is something up?" Shadow nods. "I think we lost a section of time using Chaos Control. It explains a lot of loose ends that have vanished into thin air, maybe even why your card doesn't work anymore." He heard footsteps echoing down the halls, coming their way. It seemed to be from far away, because Rouge didn't take notice, but it still made him paranoid. "Meet me in Interrogation room 28-B as soon as you're done with your orders." Rouge nods and starts drifting away as soon as Shadow does. "Okay… Be careful. With all this stuff going on people are going to wonder what those two Mobians are doing talking in a sound-proof room by ourselves…" Shadow nods in acknowledgement to her words, and heads off to the office branch of the building.

Fourty-five minutes later, Shadow is leaning up against the wall next to I-R 28-B, as it was labeled, sorting his thoughts. Despite the situation, he let part of his mind wander. He couldn't remember where he heard it, but he remembered being told by someone he trusted that because of the way his brain was wired, allowing parts of it to wander while others concentrated was very good for his cognitive thinking and over-all brain health. While he did this, he realized he genuinely liked thinking with his eyes closed. It allowed him to focus so much on his thoughts he could practically see them, which made them easier to consider. While he was on that notion, he studied what other things he did while thinking so hard. Crossed arms helped him zone out into what he was thinking, because it was so-… How to put that? Physically stabilizing in his personal space? There was also the way he fully leaned against things. He didn't cross his legs, he didn't put one against the wall – he put all the wait of his torso flat against the wall, letting his head tilt down comfortably. It was a matter of balance, he thought. He had his legs out at the right angle, and his arms and head at the right weight to be able to rest all of his weight on the wall with his back alone, which also allowed him to focus on his thoughts without having to worry about the condition of his body.  
Huh.

His ears perk to the sound of Rouge's heels clicking on the polished floor, echoing through the office-space of the local Federal Crimes division, overpowering the bangs of artillery practice through so-called "sound proof" walls. Eventually she gets close enough that his ears drift back to normal in satisfaction, pleased that she was here finally.

"Heya, Shadow." She gives him a cutesy little wave, jutting a hip out. Shadow overlooks her flirtious antics, too used to seeing them to care, and instead registers her expression. Without a word, he turns and unlocks the door's deadbolt lock, and drifts inside of the dark room. Rouge follows him, satisfied even without a greeting. His expression had said all. Once inside, Shadow leans back against the wall yet again, blinds shut, and with no clear intention of turning on a light. "What? You're going to keep us in a dark room like this?" Rouge snaps, hand on her hips. Shadow doesn't even blink at her. "If other people see us in here with the lights on, like you said, they will wonder. Our voices alone are enough to do that. Besides, neither of us need an overhead light to see." Rouge scoffs and crosses her arms, looking away. That was true she could see just fine, but she still didn't care much for it. "Well I don't like it. Whatever you think we have to do though, I won't argue." That being said, she looks back up at him. "So, what do you think is going on, Shadow?" Shadow blinks finally, glad to be on subject at last. Now that she was ready to really listen, he starts telling her his thoughts.

* * *

Author's Note: I'm so, so very sorry for such a late update! I have been working vigorously on this at every chance I got, but things got tangled up in a vacation and a broken laptop. :c I do hope my readers have stuck around. Thank you so much for your reviews, LuckytheChao147 and Mistress Selene tH! Selene, I tried to fix the formatting the way you suggested because I knew from the start the way I wrote it was kind of icky, so um, I hope I'm at least going in the right direction here?

As for the next update, I have summer homework I now need to finish, which includes reading novella and writing in response, so please expect the next update to be at least a tad late as well. I'm very sorry to have to keep you guys waiting - I wouldn't do so if I had any sort of choice. :(


	4. Chapter 3

A man rushes through the G.U.N security offices, a folder in his hand. He sighs, wondering how far he'll have to walk to find his boss in this chaos. Damn, this was all very inconvenient, what with the sudden hacking. Who'd want files like those anyway? Far as he knew G.U.N didn't have any good information on whatever it was that was stolen… He strides past the interrogation rooms, then stops, pulled from his thoughts by a disturbance. What was that noise? Voices…? He stands back and looks over the string of darkened rooms. They all seemed to be empty, though? Why would someone be in one of those rooms?... Unless they were doing something behind someone's back! Which any sort of secrecy was bad enough in this state of affairs… "Douglas!" The military intern stands to attention as his boss approaches him, abandoning his concerns for the moment, and extends the file.

"Sir! I've brought the files you asked for, sir!" The man takes the folder with a nod, slipping it into his velvet coat. He seemed rather out of place in his long, purple tailcoat, cream-colored ascot, black pants, and shiny black boots with a gold, winged loop crested on the front. While most of the other staff boasted their shiny pins on their sharp suits, he seemed to take a much more laid-back approach, pinning most of his honors on his cuffs and the only medal he bore was pinned on his chest pocket, ornamented with a matching cream handkerchief arched around it. "Thank you for bringing this to me, Douglas. This will be very useful in my research." The man dismisses the intern with a smile and a wave of his hand as he breezes past him, not paying any mind to military formalities. "You can go back to work now. Have a good day, Douglas."

Douglas stammers a little, perplexed by his attitude. "Uh, Sir! T-Thank you, sir, y-you too?..." He stares after him a little while, taking in his outfit. Clearly he didn't appear to do _anything_ on the battlefield. But wait, there were those voices again! The intern turns to investigate further, and was surprised by the appearance of one of the cleaning personal leaving a room. Douglas sighs and heads back to his work station, now disheartened. Maybe if he had exposed some sort of scandal he might have gotten a promotion...

* * *

"Whaat? But Shadow, don't you think that's pushing it a little? I mean, it'd be one thing if it was just a setback in time and space, but we don't know anything about this Mephiles except what you can remember." Rouge sat in one of the metal chairs, lounging with her legs slung over one of the arms as she turned over Shadow's suggestions. The ultimate lifeform, still leaning back against the wall, closed his eyes and looked away from her and her doubting eyes. Would he truly have to do this by himself? Would not even Rouge stand beside him? He held back a shiver; this attitude was uncalled for. Even if Rouge didn't agree, she would never abandon him like he dreaded. What was _wrong_ with him, thinking these thoughts? This couldn't really bother him that much… Rouge watches him carefully, studying his expression with her arm propped on the table, resting her chin in her palm. It was hard to make out his emotions in the dark, so instead she took to possibly cheering him up. A small smile spreads onto her face as she looks him over one last time to be sure she was going to approach him the right way. Little bands of light played on his slick quills, practically glowing in the stark contrast between the fuzzy black-and-white realm of night vision and the piercing beams sneaking through the blinds.  
"Ahh, but… I suppoossee… If this is _**really **_what you want to do…" Rouge stands, shrugging her shoulders with closed eyes, being amusingly nonchalant in the hopes of raising his spirits. "I guess I'll see what I can do." She looks at him in time to watch him turn to her, and she studies his face to make sure she played her cards right, hands on her hips confidently. He had tilted his head slightly, his eyes wide as he thought while keeping a neutrally friendly expression. He was waiting for her to further explain herself, so she jumps at the chance, shifting her weight to the other side of her hip. "I'll see what I can do here while you go out and look for other Chaos Emeralds, especially that purple one you were talking about. There's nothing I can do about the one I just gave to Dacado, but as far as I know it's just being transferred to military safe-storage, so I'll talk to the Commander about it."

Shadow nods and stands up up, gracefully letting his arms fall to his sides. "I'll go out and start looking for that emerald then. I get the feeling we'll get some answers from it." He starts heading for the door, then pauses, looking back at his partner. "Do you have any way to contact me so others won't hear?" Rouge turns her head a little, showing off her skin as she spoke, as was in her nature. Shadow frowns at her a little; he really wished she'd stop doing that… "I have a communicator that can change to whatever airwave frequency I want it too," Rouge said as she touched something that glinted on her ear, just like a little cyan ear-ring. "As long as we're on the same frequency we should be able to talk through your communicator." Shadow nods, satisfied, and closes his thankful eyes as he heads for the door. Rouge follows, smiling to herself. Perhaps it was selfish of her, but she was glad to have those perfectly formed, grateful glances and small smiles all to herself. They barely saw Omega anymore thanks to their military work, so she was the only one Shadow really trusted in his life at the moment. Instead of walking out first, Shadow holds the door open for her, which was unusual for him. Rouge pauses for a moment and stares, appalled and confused. He had his back against the door, holding neutral eyes on her. Once she had stepped out of the room Shadow looks the door from the inside and lets it close behind him. Rouge watches the look in his eyes change: From calm and friendly, to aggressive, focused, and prepared. He straightens up, his breath changing just slightly as he holds his head high. He simply nods to her and starts walking down the hallway to the nearest exit. "Good luck, Rouge. Tell me as soon as you learn something."

Rouge gives him a friendly salute. "Will do, honey." She grins as she walks down the other way, back into the building, her heels clicking on the polished floors. Shadow had always let her do her own thing – it was such a rare gift that he'd show such kindness. She gives a little skip and a laugh, catching the attention of a large number of employees, not forgetting that one guy who looks up without a clue. What did this mean, then? Does he trust her more? Does he _like_her now? Is he trying to charm her or something? Rouge sighs and tosses her head, re-adjusting her communicator. She needed to settle down before she could talk to the Commander. With one last giggle, she prances toward the big guy's office.

* * *

Shadow wanders with his ears perked, following the draft in the hallways. He had been mistaken in which way was the best route, and ended up a tad lost. Now, he was caught in the maze that was the research wing. The scent of chemicals burned in his throat, all too familiar in his senses. Despite the way it put him on edge as he wandered about, it was also nostalgic and calming. After a short debate, he found he was quite comfortable here. In fact, it was a bit fun to try and identify chemicals and elements simply by their smell. From what he could remember… he used to do that a lot before the Accident… Shadow suddenly grits his teeth, furiously gathering all the will he bore in his bones. No memories. Not now. Not ever again. He railed and raved to himself as he found the exit and stormed out of the base. He gave up all that when the Black Comet came, and revealed his origin. None of it had to matter – and so it didn't! Nothing about who he used to be mattered anymore! How long did that have to sink in until he stopped remembering these things? He shook his head, and ran a hand through his quills, allowing himself to get lost in the cool breeze that slipped through his fur. He imagined that he could float on the wind, and that it could carry him away from this damned body, and all the blooded strings attached to it. Shadow sighs, rubbing his eyes as he steadies his soul. Maybe he was tired or something… Perhaps he should doze off somewhere for a little while… He allows his resolve to harden again, walking northeast towards that emerald. Despite all that had happened, he hadn't forgotten which way to go. Suddenly that laugh sounded in the back of his mind, making him shiver with rage. That laugh – her laugh. It was sweet and tender, like tiny bells in the trees as the wind blew by. First her laugh, then her face; warm and youthful, innocently pale away from the sun's kisses, with reddened cheeks and pink rose-petal lips, and those wide, incredibly blue eyes like an endlessly deep, cerulean sea… And all of that framed by such lush, wavy golden hair… Such a rich shade of blonde it was, and silky to the touch… Would he ever be able to forget a face like that? Shadow swallows hard as he realizes he had suddenly stopped in the middle of a paved, government path, as memories swallowed him whole… Suddenly he was somewhere else as his mind insisted on reliving the moments so that they were purified and true. Shadow strains his mind as he steps out of himself, away from the Ark, away from Maria and her sweet, childish laughter. He snarls, breaking into a run. He runs across the cleared, grassy fields surrounding the base, through the forests and the intertwined branches lying low with spring foliage, and up the mountain between him and his goal; away from those terrible memories, stirred by something as simple as the sun in his eyes. He'd never turn back, he insists, tears streaming down his cheeks from the sudden sting of the artificial lights he was staring at fifty years ago. Not again. Never again.

He flops over, the cool grass giving way to his quills. Or was it Maria's sheets around his head? Was there really any difference…? Both were so gentle, enveloping and comforting… He takes a deep breath, foggy mountain air filling his lungs and confusing him. It was so different than the Ark's air – where was he again…? He was with Maria, wasn't he? He was seven years old, and Maria was five. They were playing hide and seek and Maria had found him hiding under her sheets. They were both laughing their little lungs out as she tried to pull him out by his ankles, because he refused to leave just for the hell of it. Such childish bliss… Neither of them had a thing to worry about, and Maria finally had a friend her own age who would love her unconditionally…

Shadow blinks, moaning as he's pulled from such a vivid memory. He felt his consciousness disconnect from the distant past and return to him, but his world was white and fuzzy. He sits up with a sigh, rubbing his aching, straining eyes, and listens to the mountain songbirds sing. It had been so long since he had been pulled in so deeply… The ultimate lifeform sighs and takes in where he had left off. He had been scaling straight up the stony mountain, and had collapsed on top of a grassy outcropping when he couldn't keep it together. He sighs again, looking off into the distance. The view was awe-inspiring, and made him feel thoughtful. He studies the horizon and the sun, taking in the sunlight dancing on the forest treetops, and racing the wind on the flourishing grasses in the distance. For how long had he been out at that time, when he was seven? From what he could remember, it didn't seem like long… That was the only day he could remember from anywhere in his childhood, until he was fifteen or so, and it seemed about right. Suddenly his throat tightens, ceasing all thought – It was there, he could sense it behind him. Over the mountain, and moving fast: The Chaos Emerald. He jumps up. If he doesn't go after it now, he might lose it. He lunges – and hesitates. He almost tumbles straight off the mountain, suddenly yanked into one last thought. Was he truly capable of just escaping his memories? Could he be utterly unable to turn a blind eye, until he remembered everything…? How long would that take? He sometimes literally could not stop himself from collapsing; he was always so vaunerable! He shivers and grits his teeth. _Don't worry about this now…_ Shadow thinks to himself, and willing himself to move on, he jumps off the ledge, kicking on his skates to make a smooth landing several hundred feet below him. He would go around the mountain and cut the emerald bearer off before he escaped. He could feel the stone beckoning him, pulling at his entire being practically; urging, driving, begging him to come closer, so it could tell its tale. How did he know it wanted to reveal things to him? It told him so. And it also said it was of dire importance that he know. Shadow purses his lips, realizing that as he had gone around the mountain, the emerald bearer had turned north instead of continuing west, aiming to cross the distant mountains. He gives a growl and picks up the pace, the forest blurring all around him as he dodged massive trunks, foliage, rocks, and streams. He needed that emerald.

-(0 o 0)"-  
**Author's**** Note:** ... To be honest, I'm not exactly sure what to say. I feel so ashamed it's taken me this long.I know none of you want to hear me whine about this and that, and why I didn't update sooner and [blah blah blah], because that's what everybody knows a Fanfiction writer has to deal with. 'xD But, although I couldn't update sooner, I did try and meet a request for longer chapters... This was four pages, and 2,400+ words. From now on, all of my chapters are going to have to be 2,400+ words if I can do so without ruining it. That's a promise.

My deepest thanks go out to all of you who are still reading. I know how dull this must be, waiting for some half-assed wanna-be novelist to update her shit at a reasonable pace. LOL... :P I also know you came here to see Shadow and Mephiles interacting, and got four chapters of Shadow. However, your wait is nearly over. Mephiles should be appearing within the next two or three chapters. I hope that eases some of your minds and gives you some insentive to stick around. :) Thank you for all the new reviews as well! They are my motivation when I feel like giving up, so please don't stop forking them out. :) Hope you enjoyed.


End file.
